| David | |
|---|---|
 King David from the Hebrew Bible | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ |
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Hebrew |
| Meaning | "Beloved, famed, loved"[1] |
| Region of origin | Eretz Israel |
King David, is a central figure in the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, and foundational to Judaism, and subsequently significant in the religious traditions of Christianity and Islam.
David was adopted as a Christian name from an early period, e.g. David of Wales (6th century), David Saharuni (7th century), David I of Iberia (9th century). Name days are celebrated on 8 February (for David IV of Georgia), 1 March (for St. David of Wales) and 29 December (for King David), as well as 25 June (St. David of Sweden), 26 June, 9 July (Russia), 26 August, 11 December and 30 December (Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Czech Republic).
David is an important figure in Rabbinic Judaism, with many legends about him. According to one tradition, David was raised as the son of his father Jesse and spent his early years herding his father's sheep in the wilderness while his brothers were in school.[2]
David's adultery with Bathsheba is interpreted as an opportunity to demonstrate the power of repentance, and the Talmud says it was not adultery at all, citing a Jewish practice of divorce on the eve of battle. Furthermore, according to Talmudic sources, Uriah's death was not murder, because Uriah had committed a capital offense by refusing to obey a direct command from the King.[3] However, in tractate Sanhedrin, David expressed remorse over his transgressions and sought forgiveness. God ultimately forgave David and Bathsheba but would not remove their sins from Scripture.[4]
In Jewish legend, David's sin with Bathsheba is the punishment for David's excessive self-consciousness. He had besought God to lead him into temptation so that he might give proof of his constancy like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who successfully passed the test and whose names later were united with God's, while David failed through the temptation of a woman.[2]
According to midrashim, Adam gave up 70 years of his life for the life of David.[5] Also, according to the Talmud Yerushalmi, David was born and died on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks). His piety was said to be so great that his prayers could bring down things from Heaven.[6]
References
- ↑ "Meaning, origin and history of the name David".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ginzberg, Louis (1909). The Legends of the Jews. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. Search this book on
- ↑ "David". jewishencyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-29. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin. p. 107a. Search this book on
- ↑ Zohar Bereishis 91b
- ↑ Ginzberg, Louis (1909), translated by Szold, Henrietta, "Legends of the Jews", Sefaria, retrieved October 26, 2021
